Yarn cleaner



June 9, 1925.

H. E. vA'N NESS YARN CLEANER Filed Feb. 14, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 v ghve uto'c 3513' M Gum,

June 9, 1925 I H. E. VAN NESS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 YARN CLEANER Filed Feb. 14. 1923 gwuewcoz fu'un e 9', 1925.

H. E. VAN NESS YARN CLEANER Filed Feb. l4. 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 PIL NW Qm a..- '5 Patented June 9, 1925.

warren srres PATENT OFFER} nnnnrn. van mass, or Emmi, NEW YORK.

V YARN CLEAN-EB.

Applicationfiled February 14, 1923.. SerialNo. 618,883..

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HENRY E. VAN N'ass,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Elmira, inthe county of Chemung and State of New York, have invented certain new ant useful Improvements in Yarn Cleaners, fully described and representedin the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

- This invention relates to yarn cleaners for eliminating from yarns impurities, such as parts of seeds, parts of stems, slubs, specks, grains of sand, and other particles, before the yarn is made into cloth and thus improving the quality of the cloth made from the yarn and avoiding the necessity for excessive bleaching of the cloth.

The invention aims to proviue a simple device adapted thoroughly to clean a traveling yarn.

A cleaner embodying the invention is provided with a number of blades which are reciprocated rapidly in directions substantially longitudinal of. the yarn. The reciprocatory blades serve to detach particles from the yarn and to direct the detached particles away from the line of travel of the yarn and out of the cleaner. The reciprocatory blades may be of two forms, one form being adapted principally to loosen and detach particles from the yarn and the other form being adapted both to detach particles from the yarn and to direct particles detached by other blades away from the line of travel of the yarn. r

in order that the invention may clearly be understood, 1 will describe in detail the the yarn cleaners embodying the invention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which 1 is a top view of a cleaner in which the blades are reciprocated in directions parallel to the yarn; r

Fig. 2 is a side view of the cleaner shown in Fig. 1, sectioned on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is a rear end view of the cleaner shown in Fig. 1;

1* 4 is a transverse section of the cleaner on the line 44 of Fig. 1; V

Fig. 5 is a top View of a cleaner in which the blades are reciprocated in curves tangential to the yarn;

Fig. 6. is a transverse section of'the cleaner shown infFig.'5 on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5

Fig. '7 is a rear end View of the cleaner shown in Fig. 5,

Fig. 8 is a top View ofa cleaner-with resiliently mounted blades reciprocated by a hammering action;

Fig. 9 is a side view of the cleaner shown in Fig. 8 sectioned on the line 99 of Fig. 8'; y a

Fig. 10 1s a transverse sect on of the cleaner shown 111 Flg. 8 taken on the line 1010 of Fig. 8.

The cleaners shown in the. drawings are adapted to operate upon traveling. yarns which are being drawn from a bobbin or other source of supply into a winding or spooli'ng or. other machine.

. Thecleaner shown in Figs. 1 to 4 has a rectangular frame 10; The ends 13 and 14 of this frameare provided at their middle with recesses 20, 21, which permit a yarn A to. be drawn longitudinally across the middle of the frame below the upper edge of the frame. To the end 13 of. the frame, which 1 term the front end because it is the end from which the traveling yarn enters the cleaner, is. attached a tension'device 19 which retains the yarn'under tension as it is drawn across the. frame of the cleaner. The tension device illustrated forms the-subject-matter of my co-pending application Serial No. 576,249, filed July 20, 1922, Patent No. 1,456,263, issued May 22, 1923, and is, therefore, not described in detail or claimed herein.

The top of the frame 10 may be closed by a two-piece cover 26, which provides a slot extending from the recess 20 to the recess 21. A. skirt 32: extends. downwardly from the frame to confine the. impurities removed from the yarn in the cleaner.

Two slide bars 40, are mounted in guide holes41 in the ends 13, 14 of the frame 10. Each of the slide bar-e740, 40 e1;- tends through the rear end 14 of the frame. On the outer ends of the slide bars are mounted short vertical bars 42, 42 each of which contains a vertical slot 43 extending in from its lower end. The slots 43 embrace eccentrics 44, 44 mounted on opposite ends of the'transverse shaft 45. The shaft 45 is journaled in a bracket 46 secured. to the rear end 14 of the frame, and this shaft is positioned below the bottoms of the recesses 20, 21. The shaft 45 is rotated at high velocity, for example, by means of a belt passing over a pulley wheel 47 fixed on the shaft. The rotation of the shaft causes the eccentrics 44, 44 to give the slide bars 40, 40 a rapid reciprocatory movement. The stroke of this movement is short.

Mounted on the slide bars 40, 40, and eX- tending inwardly therefrom, are reciprocatory elements which serve to clean the yarn and to direct the matter removed from the yarn out of the cleaner. Two types of reciprocatory elements are shown in the drawings. They are the cleaning elements 50, 50 and the cleaning and deflecting elements 70, 7 0.

Each reciprocatory cleaning element 50 comprises a cleaning blade 53 and a sup-port 52, the outer end 54 of which is set in a transverse slot 51 in the slide bar 40. The support 52 is inclined toward the back end 14 of the frame, while the blade 53 is inclined toward the front end of the frame. The inner end of the blade is substantially in line with the outer end 54 of the support 52.

In the end of the cleaning blade 53 is a semicircular notch 57 extending parallel to the slide bars. The surface of the notch 57 and the front surface (51 of the blade 53 intersect in an acute edge.

The cleaning elements 50 which are mounted on the slide bar 40 are similar in form to the cleaning elements 50 and in the drawings the parts of the'elements 50 are designated by the same. numerals as the corresponding parts of the elements 50, 1 prime being added to each numeral.

The cleaning elements 50, 50 are positioned in staggered relation, with the centers of their notches 57, 57 aligned. These, therefore, partly encircle opposite sides of the yarn A.

Each cleaning and deflecting element 7 0 comprises a blade 73 and a support 72, the outer end oortion of which is set in a transverse slot 71 in the slide bar 40. The support 7 2 is perpendicular to the slide bar 40, while the blade 73 extends straight inward from the inner end of the support and is inclined rearwardlyand downwardly. The blade has a straight inner edge 75 which is perpendicular to the support 72 and is inclined to the line of travel of the yarn by reason of the inclination of the blade.

The cleaning and deflecting elements are similar to the elements 70, except that each of them has in its inner edge a semielliptical notch extending parallel to the slide bars.

The/cleaning and deflecting elements 70, 70 are arranged in the frame in pairs, each of the elements 70 being opposite one of the elements 70. The inner edges 75, 75 of these elements lie in slightly separated vertical planes. The centers of all the notches 80 are aligned with the centers of the notches 57, 57 of the blades 53, 53. The arrangement is such that the notches 80 of the blades73 surround one-half of the circumference of the yarn A, while the inner edges 7 5 of the blades 73 lie adjacent to the other side of the yarn.

In the operation of the cleaner, the reciprocatory motion imparted to the blades by the slide bars causes the edges of the notches 57, 57 and the edges of the notches 80 to brush and scrape from the yarn spec-ks and other impurities projecting from it. The points of the inner edges 75 which contact with the yarn have a similar action but to a less extent, as they do not partially encircle the yarn as do the edges of the notches. Each pair of cleaning and deflecting blades 73, 73 serves to deflect downwardly particles already detached from the yarn by blades further forward in the cleaner, as well as any fibrous matter adhering to such particles. The rapid reciprocatory motion of all the blades prevents the particles and fibre from adhering to any of the blades. As a. result, the detached particles and any fibrous matter removed with them is directed downwardly out of the cleaner.

The yarn cleaner shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7hasa frame 110 which is,in general, similar to the frame of the first cleaner, except that its sides 115, 116 are widerkthan those of the first cleaner and have in their upper surfaces guideways 117, 117 extending between the guide holes 141 in the ends 113, 114 of the frame. In the frame 110 are mounted slide bars 140, 140', which are similar to the slide bars of the first cleaner and similar means is provided for reciprocating them. Tn this instance, however, the throw of the eccentrics 144, 144, which reciprocates the slide bars, is only a few hundredths of an inch and is exaggerated in the drawing for the sake of clearness.

The cleaner is providel with cleaning elements 150, 150 and cleaning and deflecting elements 1'70, 170, which are, in general, similar to the corres}')onding parts of the first cleaner and are providel with blades 153, 153, 173, 173' substantially identical with the corresponding blades of the first cleaner.

' The mounting of these elements, however, differs from that used in the first cleaner. The supports 152 of the elements 150 are pivotally secured at their outer ends to the slide bar 140 by means of screws 156. Each support 152 contains a slot 157 which embraces a pin 158 on the side 115 of the frame. As a result, reciprocatory movement ofthe slide bar 140 moves the notched inner edges of the blades 153 in a curve tangential to the yarn. The pins 158 are positioned so that the inner edges of the blades 153 are closest to the yarn at the middlepo in-t of each reciprocation of the slide bar 140; The supports 152 of the elements 150' are mounted in the same way as the supports 152.

The supports 17 2- of alternate elements- 170 are pivotally secured at their" outer ends to the side 115- ofthe frame 110 by means of screws 176' located inside the slide .bar 140.

Each support 1x2 contains a slot 177 which embraces a pin 17 8 on the slide bar 140. The supports 172* of the other elements 17 O are pivotally secured to the side 115 of the frame by means of screws 176 locatedoutside the slide bar 140. Each supp0rt172f contains aslot 177 which embraces a pin 178 on the slide bar 140; The pins 178, 178 are positioned so that at one end of the reciprocatory movement of the slide bar 140 the supports 172' are inclined slightly towards the rear end 114 of the frame and the supports 172 are. perpendicular to the side 115 of the frame, placing the blades 173 in the position illustrated in Fig. 5, while at the other end of the reciprocatory movement of the bar 140 the supports 172' are perpendicular to the side of the frameand the supports 172 are inclined slightly toward the rear end of the frame. The supports 17 2 and 172" are mounted on the side 116' of the frame and the slide bar 140" in the same manner as the supports 172,

As the pivotal axes of the elements 170, 170 are vertical, the upper end of the inner edge 175 or 175 of each blade-173 or 173' moves in a curve tangentialto the center line of the frame, while, owing to the in clination of the blades, the lower end of. the inner edge of each blade is moved outwardly to a greater extent than the upper end of the inner edge. As a result, when a pair of ele ments 17 O, 170 are turned rearwardly, the inner edges 175, 175 and the blades 173, 173' diverge from each other towards their lower ends.

The operation of the second cleaner is similar to that of the first cleaner, for sincereciprocation of the slide bars 140, 140 causes the inner edges of the bl'ades to reciprocate in directions substantially longltudi-nal of the yarn, the edges of the notches 157, 157, 180 in the blades 153, 153', 17s have a brushing action on the yarn similar to that already described. Owing, however, to: the slight outward component in the reciprocatory movement of the blades 153,

153 and to the inclination of these blades,

they serve to hook. particles off the yarn in addition to their. brushing action. The out ward turning of the. blades 173, 17 3 serves to release any fibrous matter which may have become caught between the inner edges of a pair of these blades. As the pairs of blades turn outwardly alternately, so that the inner edges of all the pairs are not separated widely at any one time, no particles or-fibrous matter can be drawn through the cleaner without being deflected downwardly by one or another of these pairs of blades.

The yarn cleaner shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 has a rectangular frame 210, the sides 215, 2160f which are extended beyond the rear end 214 to provide bearings for a transverse shaft 245, which is rotated rapidly in an anticlockwise direction (Fig. 9) by means not shown in the drawings. On the shaft 245 are mounted two wheels 244, 244, each of which has teeth 246 having inclined front surfaces 247. Slide bars 240, 240 are mounted in guide holes 241 in the ends 213, 214 of the frame. The slide bars project through the rear end 214 of the frame" and have inclined rear ends 242, 242. Comp-ression springs 248 urge the slide bars rearwardly, bringing their rear ends against the wheels 244, 244. As the Wheels 244, 244' rotate, the inclined surfaces 247 of their teeth engage the rear ends 242, 242 of the slide bars and throw the slide bars forward a'gainst'the force of the compression springs 248. As a: result, the slide bars are given a rapid reciprocatory motion. The length of the stroke of each slide bar may be adjusted by means of a nut 230 screwed on a stud 231 projecting fromthe front end of the bar and through the front end 213 of the frame. The nuts'230 maybe secured inwardly on the studs so that by engagement with the front end'213 of the frame they limit the rearward movement of the slide bars under the force of the compression springs 248. The nuts may be set so as to bringthe rear ends 242, 242 of the slide bars into contact with only the outer portions of the inclined surfaces 247 of the teeth of the wheels, and in this way the distance through which the slide bars are thrown forward by the inclined surfaces may be reduced. The upper side of each slide bar contains a plurality of recesses 258, 278, the purpose of which is hereinafter explained.

Cleaning elements 250, 250" and cleaning and deflecting elements 270, 270 are mounted in slots 251, 271 in the sides 215, 216 of the frame; These elements are similar to the corresponding elements in the two yarn cleaners which have been described, except that their supports 252, 2524, 272, 272' are resilient so as to permit a free vibration of the elements in which the inner edges of the blades of the elements reciprocate in directions substantially longitudinal of the yarn. Each of the resilient supports" 2'52, 252 lies in one of the recesses 258 of the slide bars 240, 240, and each of the resilient supports 272 lies in one of the recesses 278. The reciprocation of the slide bars brings the rear end surfaces 259, 279 ofthe recesses 258, 278 into contact with the resilient supports 252, 252, 272, 272. The length of the stroke of the slide bars is regulated by means of the nuts 230,-sothat at each forward movement of each slide bar each of the end surfaces 259, 27 9 strikes a sharp blow on one of the resilient supports and immedi ately moves out of contact with the support. This hammering of the resilient supports sets each of the elements 250, 250, 270, 270 into vibration. The reciprocation of the slide bars is sufficiently rapid to maintain these elements constantly in vibration.

As the bending of the resilient supports 252, 272 during the vibration of the elements occurs principally near the outer ends of the supports, the movements of the blades 253, 253, 273, 273 are similar to the movements of the blades of the second cleaner. The operation of the cleaner just described is, therefore, similar to that of the second cleaner, which has already been described.

What is claimed is:

1. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, the combination with means for guiding the yarn through the cleaner, of a blade extending transversely to the direction of the travel of the yarn through the cleaner and having an edge adjacent to the yarn, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said edge for causing a rapid reciprocatory movement of said edge in directions approximately longitudinal of the yarn traveling through the cleaner.

2. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, the combination with means for guiding the yarn through the cleaner, of a blade extending transversely to the direction of the travel of the yarn through the cleaner and having an edge adjacent to the yarn, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said edge for giving said edge a rapid reciprocatory movement having a major conr ponent longitudinal of the yarn passing through the cleaner and a minor component transverse to the yarn.

3. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, the combination with means for guiding the yarn tl'irough the cleaner, of a blade extending transversely to the direction of the travel of the yarn through the cleaner and having an edge adjacent to the yarn, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said edge for causing a rapid reciprocatory movement of a point of said edge in a plane including the line of travel of the yarn through the cleaner and in a curve tangential to the yarn passing through the cleaner.

4. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, the combination with means for guiding the yarn through the cleaner, of a blade extending transversely to the line of travel of the yarn tudinal of the yarn passing through the cleaner.

5; In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, the combination with means for guiding the yarn through the cleaner, of a blade extending transversely to the line of travel of the yarn through the cleaner and having an acute edge adjacent to the yarn and a front surface extending from said edge at an obtuse angle to the yarn, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said edge for causing a rapid reciprocatory movement of said edge having a major component longitudinal of the yarn passing through the cleaner and a minor component transverse to the yarn.

6. In a yarn cleaner for removing par ticles from a travelingfyarn, the combination with means for guiding the yarn through the cleaner, of a blade extending transversely to the line of travel of the yarn through. the cleaner and having an acute edge adjacent to the yarn and a front sur face extending from said edge at an obtuse angle to the yarn, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said edge for causing rapid reciprocatory movement of a point of said edge in a plane containing the line of travel of the yarn through the cleaner and in a curve tangential to the yarn passing through the cleaner. 7

7. In a yarn cleaner-for removing particles from a traveling yarn, the combination with means for guiding the yarn through the cleaner, of a blade. extending transversely to the direction of travel of the yarn through the cleaner and containing a notch partially encircling the yarn, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said notch for causing a rapid reciprocatory movement of said notch in directions approximately longitudinal of the yarn passing through the cleaner.

8. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, the combination with means for guiding the yarn through the cleaner, of a blade extending transversely to the direction of travel of the yarn through the cleaner and containing a notch partially encircling the yarn,'and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said notch for causing a rapid reciprocatory movement of said notch having a major component longitudinal of the yarn passing through the cleaner and a minor component transverse to' the. yarn.

9. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, the combination with means for guiding the yarn through the cleaner, of a blade extending transversely to the direct-ion of travel of the yarn through the cleaner and containing a notch partially encircling the yarn, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said notch for causing a rapid reciprocatory movement of said notch in a plane containing the line of travel of the yarn through the cleaner and in a curve tangential to the yarn passing through the cleaner.

10. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, the combination with means for guiding the yarn v through the cleaner, of a blade extending transversely to the direction of travel of the yarn through the cleaner and containing a notch partially encircling the yarn and having a front surface extending from said notch at an obtuse angle to the yarn, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said notch for causing a rapid reciprocatory movement of said notch in directions approximately longitudinal of the yarn traveling through the cleaner.

11. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, the combination with means for guiding the yarn through the cleaner, of a plurality of clean ing blades extending transversely in the direction of travel of the yarn through the cleaner and arranged on opposite sides of the yarn in staggered relation to each other and each having an edge adjacent to the yarn, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said edges for causing a rapid reciprocatory movement of said edges in directions approximately longitudinal of the yarn passing through the cleaner.

12. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn a plurality of notched cleaning blades spaced from each other longitudinally of the yarn and positioned so that the notch of each blade encircles a different portion of the circumference of the yarn, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said notches for causing a reciprocatory movement of said notches in directions approximately longitudinal of the yarn.

13. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, a pair of blades extending transversely to the yarn and located upon opposite sides of the yarn and having spaced inner edges between which the yarn passes, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said edges for causing intermittent separating movements of said blades.

14. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, a pair of blades extending transversely to the yarn and located upon opposite sides of the yarn and having spaced inner edges between which the yarn passes, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said edges for intermittently turning said blades outward from each other about axes so inclined to the blades that the lower ends of their inner edges separate more than the upper ends of their inner edges.

15. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, a blade having a portion of its edge adjacent to the yarn and resiliently held to permit free vibration of said portion of its edge, and means independent of the travel of the yarn across said edge to cause a vibration of said blade in directions approximately longitudinal of the yarn.

16. In a yarn cleaner for removing particles from a traveling yarn, an element having a portion of its edge adjacent to the yarn and resiliently held to permit free vibration of said portion of its edge, a movable member, and means ,for causing said member to strike said element so as to set it into vibration.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HENRY E. VAN NESS. 

